Episode Nineteen

Old, tired air rushed at me, then cleared. I stepped inside. Behind me
I heard sounds of a commotion, but I was drawn into the bowels of the
mountain. Footsteps sounded behind me and Russell's voice echoed to me,
"Captain!".

My eyes adjusted to the dim lighting - there was lighting in here, but
this entrance was mainly lit up by the light coming through the door.
Two, no three figures were silhouetted against the light behind me. The
tall thin one stepped inside the door.

"Captain, are you all right?"

I was in a wide corridor. Ahead was heavy door. Just before the door
was a small one set into the side of the corridor. Some sort of guard's
room I surmised.

I had to go further in. Russell followed me as I opened the guard's
room and stepped in. Whatever was pulling me onwards still wanted me to
go through the big door, but some part of me whispered caution, and for
once in my life I listened. Inside the room were banks of monitors and
computer systems, all fully functional. A camera system was switching
through shots of various areas presumably further within the
installation.

"Oh wow," whispered Russell behind me.

All of it was useless. I couldn't read a thing of what it was telling
me. I could understand schematics, such as those shown on some of the
screens easily enough, but I could not read Markab.

"Djikiden! Get down here and read this stuff for me!"

The Pak'ma'ra shuffled and huffed his way along the corridor. "Are
you sure this is wise, Captain? You shouldn't have come in here without
us."

"Well, we're all here now," I replied as Nar'Bon stepped in to the room.

The Pak'ma'ra asked the question that all of them wanted answered. How
had I opened the door? Embedded in that was why had I opened the
door?

I looked at them and sighed (rotten Human habit I have picked up). "I
just had to get in here. I put in the number that my hand knew was right.
I just knew it. It sounds mad, I know, but I needed to get in here. I
need to get in there," I waved at the inner door, "but the door looks
locked. So I came in here."

Nar'Bon and Russell were making small hand signals saying that I am
mad. I was actually starting to doubt my own sanity, but that prodding in
my mind kept pushing me towards the inner part of the installation.

Russell and the Pak'ma'ra sat down at the consoles and started fiddling
with the controls. Russell inserted his interpreter key into a data
crystal reader, but the local system couldn't connect to the Markab web to
get "updated language files". What appeared on the screen was a strange
mix of Earther and Markab writing.

The camera system was easy to figure out, and they quickly learnt how
to interpret the schematics.

"These cameras show A level, the one that we are on. This is directly
inside the door there."

It showed a corridor with a number of doors leading off it. "A level
is sleeping quarters, administration and mess areas."

"Go to the bottom level."

"Ah, that would be this one, C level." The Pak'ma'ra moved to a
different console. "It is the plant area - it contains all the equipment
needed to keep this place running." The cameras showed machinery, most of
which was of totally unfamiliar design. Not all the cameras worked.

Then we looked at the B deck. "This is the laboratory area. The
engine room, the - hmm, my translation has no word for that. They are all
work areas." Quite a few of the cameras on that level did not work, and
for a good reason. We had seen no signs of life, past or present, until
we examined B level. There we found abundant evidence of past life.

A number of bodies were sprawled around the level. When we zoomed the
one remaining working camera in to examine the damage more closely, we
could see that the bodies were mummified Markabs. Ten or more bodies lay
around a wrecked room containing more unidentifiable equipment. The Narn
government would pay well to know what these Markab had been experimenting
with, although we would also prefer to know what went wrong so that we did
not duplicate the Markab's mistake.

"Looks like there was a disaster here?" The Human was looking worried.

No matter what, I had to get in there. "Well, there's nothing alive in there to harm us, and those bodies aren't going to get in our way. I have to go in. Who is going with me?"

"I ain't" said the Human. Unusual - he was normally amenable to my
suggestions as long as there was no suggestion of danger. He played with
the controls at his console and brought up a few different overlays on the
screen. "Look at this." He pointed at one display that showed a solid
line. "Radiation's through the roof, almost literally." He rapidly
changed the camera view until it showed us. The Pak'ma'ra leaned across
to examine the readings and commented, "Radiation is nominally higher than
background in here. We are in no danger here."

"Yeah, but she," and I could hear the fear and disdain in the Human's
voice, "wants to go in *there*."

Radiation levels on A deck were high enough that we would only last a
couple of hours in there before risking serious contamination. Normally I
would not even dream of entering such a high risk area, but I was
compelled to.

The Pak'ma'ra and Russell could not find a way to open the door into
the installation anyway. I wanted to go in, but one thing was preying on
my mind even more than this compulsion. The Pak'ma'ra also had the same
idea - he pulled a can and a tin opener out of his robes, carefully opened
the tin and started eating. He didn't have one for me - most
inconsiderate of him, I thought - and refused to share. Probably just as
well - never know what I could catch off a Pak'ma'ra. I wandered back to
the messhall and filled someone's water sling with cans. I even collected
a few spoons.

In the time it took for Russell and the Pak'ma'ra to discover that they
could not get into the installation, I ate three cans and started on the
fourth. I had also had a long drink from the tank. The others decided to
go and investigate the rest of the compound, see if there was power out
there. Nar'Bon decided to go with them. They left me behind. Russell
told me in all seriousness to cover my face if I did manage to get inside
the installation. Even a bit of material would filter some of the
particulate radioactive matter, if there was any particulate matter that
is.

With one need satisfied - I was bloated with food - my need to get
inside that door was intense. I went out into the corridor and examined
the door closely. There was a keypad on one side, but whatever intuition
I had had abandoned me. No combination I tried could open the door.
However, on the other side of the corridor was an access panel. I pulled
at it and popped it open. Inside was a massive, heavy wheel. An
emergency door release. Excellent.

My strength was sadly lacking, and it took some effort and time to wind
the wheel far enough to release the door. Remembering what Russell said,
I wrapped a bit of my ragged sleeve around my nose and mouth. I pulled
the door ajar slightly and stepped back. The rag was no obstacle to the
terrible smell that erupted from inside. Where was my perfume when I
needed it so?

The sound of the door opening called my companions back to the
installation.

"Captain - what do you think you're doing? You're exposing us all to
radiation." Russell seemed to have a phobia about radiation. Then he
noticed something else and turned up his nose. "What is that stink?"

I pulled my rag off my face. "I think that I'll just let the air
settle for a while." I stepped further back and waited until the stench
began to dissipate. Yes I had to get in there, but I couldn't face that
smell. Another five minutes would not matter. Russell scurried past me
and pushed the door further shut.

The Pak'ma'ra scurried in to the guard's room and checked the levels of
radioactivity in the corridor. "No, it's not bad in here. Not much seems
to be in the air. Smells bad though."

If the Pak'ma'ra thought that it smelt bad, it had to be abominable.

We all stepped in to the guard's room. The Human was showing signs of
standing up for himself. He was quite aggressive as he said, "Look, why
do you have to go in there, anyway? It's dangerous."

Even Nar'Bon was doubting me. I had to explain myself.

"She appeared to me in a vision. She made me come here. I have to do
this. How do you think that we met together here?"

They looked at me as if I was mad. To be honest, I wasn't sure that they weren't right. "Who's she?" asked the Pak'ma'ra.

"Haven't you seen her? Hasn't she talked to you?"

They looked at each other and at me. Clearly they did not understand
what I was talking about.

"Her! Kimmini! She appeared to me in a vision."

Nar'Bon or Russell, I don't remember now, said "Kimmini's dead. You've
had visions of the dead?" They were so incredulous I had to do something
to show I wasn't mad.

I tried again, "I know she is dead, but she was talking to me -"

Surprisingly the Pak'ma'ra interjected "Well, that is perfectly
normal..."

" - She showed me this mountain, and when I saw it, I had to come here.
Yes, I've been talking to a dead Seer. Maybe telepaths can survive death.
I don't know!!!"

The Pak'ma'ra admitted that he hadn't realised that Kimmini was a
telepath. He hadn't made the essential connection between Tamorein and
telepathy, but he seemed to have come on side with me. Bizarre.

"Don't you remember seeing her for the first time? I dreamt of her
before we had even met."

The Pak'ma'ra twisted his tentacles for a moment. "Aah, yes, I do
remember dreaming whilst I was in the tank. And Kimmini was there."

Russell was not convinced, and nor, more upsettingly, was Nar'Bon.
Instead I had the Pak'ma'ra's support which I neither wanted or needed.
Under normal circumstances, anyway. But these weren't normal times, and I
was grateful. I really thought that I was starting to lose my mind.
Having the support of the Pak'ma'ra didn't prove my sanity, but at least I
was not so alone in my madness.

"I experienced a vision after the sandstorm. In it I saw this
mountain. I had to come here, and I have to get into that place and I
cannot wait any longer! Radiation or not. I want more pouchlings, but I
must go in there. Are you with me or not?"

Russell started to demur, but the Pak'ma'ra was louder. "If Kimmini
appeared to you, then this is something we must do. I will go with you.
I see that Nar'Bon will too."

(Just as an aside, I have never revealed any of my personal life or my
past to my companions, not even Nar'Bon, past the fact that I once had a
brother who died not that long ago. I did not see that my personal life
had anything to do with them.)

The Human grumbled and muttered, then started to examine the cabinets
around the guard room. "Wonder if there are breathers or fire fighting
equipment in here?" Most of the cabinets were locked and we could not
gain access. Russell guessed that it would take some hours to break
through the electronic locks on them - there must be interesting stuff in
there for them to be locked. Nar'Bon fetched one of the tarpaulin poles
and I tried to force the door.

I was terribly weak and took some time breaking through the door of a
cupboard. I laid into it with my boots and then levered it open. It was
much harder than it should have been. In the meantime, the others
searched the open cabinets, finding little of interest except for six
breather units.

With one last wrench at the lever, I pulled the door open. Inside were
eight lovely PPGs of Markab design (at least I presumed they were Markab)
along with spare caps. Nar'Bon exclaimed with joy and grabbed two.
Russell took one, as did the Pak'ma'ra. That left three for me and an
extra one for Nar'Bon. G'Quan knows what we expected to use them on -
there were certainly no Markab. Maybe the rodents around here were of
unusual size.

We put the breathers on and I pulled the door open. At least it didn't
smell so bad now with the full face masks on. Nor would we be breathing
contaminated air. I noticed in passing that the Pak'ma'ra's tentacles
were squished out to where his ears would be if he had any. He wouldn't
be talking too much with that restriction - could be an advantage.

Inside was the corridor we had seen on the monitors. We quickly
checked the rooms on either side. They were sleeping quarters, as the
schematics had shown. They were nearly stripped of personal belongings,
but they showed signs of being abandoned quickly. Beds were unmade and a
few nicknacks were left behind. Most unmilitary.

The Pak'ma'ra stopped before a sign. It had two different forms of
writing on it. One was Markab - I knew enough to recognise it, but the
other was totally unfamiliar. He gestured to Nar'Bon and muttered at him.
Nar'Bon shook his head. "No, I still don't remember what it is. It is
familiar, however."

We continued on. All the signs were in both Markab and the other
language that none of us could identify. It seemed that the Markab had
been collaborating with another race, one much more advanced than they.
That would explain their rapid advancement in technology in recent
years.

We found nothing until we reached the administration area. There,
again most of the essential equipment had been stripped. Data storage was
mostly empty, but we found a few hardcopy printouts in one office. As the
Pak'ma'ra picked one up, something bounced off the page and skittered
away.

He and I dropped to the floor to see where it had gone. The Pak'ma'ra
grunted as he pushed his arm under a cabinet and pulled out a data
crystal.

My compulsion to be in this place abruptly vanished. We were out of
time anyway - the breathers would only last for half a standard hour, and
that was nearly up. I was suddenly very aware of being surrounded by
radiation that could affect any more pouchlings I may have (despite all
that has happened, I still have this apparent belief that I will get back
to So'Kath and give Na'Kath some pouch sibs). "Let's get out of
here."

The Pak'ma'ra looked at me with some surprise.

"We've got what we were here for. We've got no air left, so let's go."